


The Hamadian Conspiracy

by nocturneequuis



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: ADVENTURE!, F/M, Rating may go up over time, action! - Freeform, and maybe a little something something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-09-28 13:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10104083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nocturneequuis/pseuds/nocturneequuis
Summary: A party with the Doctor's friend sounded like a good idea, until the friend turns up dead. On top of that, a case of mistaken identity has Rose filling the Doctor's shoes. Now she has to find the murderer and save the day, all while pretending to be a mad genius and dealing with frightening gaps in her memory. Something is just a little bit off about this whole situation. Also is it hot in here, or is it just her?





	1. Cell Mates

Rose wrinkled her nose at the dank and dirty cell that yawned open before her. It wasn’t her first time in a jail and probably wouldn’t be her last and at least the floors were clean. No rats that she could see. Still…

“Get a move on!” the guard snapped, giving her a shove with its hard thorny hand. Rose stumbled, nearly wiping out on the lintel and even after fought for balance against the uneven stone under her unfortunately thin heels.

“Oi!” she snapped, spinning around. “No need to be so” The door slammed hard in her face, her hair blown back by the gust and getting caught in her lipstick. “Rude.” She muttered.

Well…this was just peachy.

Rose took a few moments to try and blow or shake the hair away from her mouth, her hands twitching instinctively to do so but they couldn’t get far manacled behind her as they were. Bloody hell. Well this wasn’t the first time she’d been handcuffed. Not even the first time with the Doctor. This place seemed to have rather a fetish for it though.

She sighed and looked around the small room, shivering as a gust of air came spiraling down the barred window high over her head. She was not dressed for this weather. At least she had the cropped jacket but gooseflesh rose on her legs and over the ridiculous amount of cleavage this top was showing. _Not going to work, this dress,_ she thought. _Too short all round and you know a party with the Doctor is never going to be just a party._

She turned and rested against the wall, nearly turning her ankle with it.

 _Spiked shoes. Also a mistake_.

It was supposed to have been a good time. Just a birthday-versary, as the Doctor had called it. For an old friend. Had to look smart,the invitation had said. Ready for a good time. Of course all he’d done was change his jumper to a slightly darker shade of green because as he’d said: He always looked smart. Rose rolled her eyes, somewhat annoyed at the fondness that grew warm in her chest. He was bad enough without giving him airs.

“You’d better be smart and get me out of here,” she muttered.

He would. That she had confidence in. What worried her now was that his friend had been found missing/dead, or so the guards had told her when they’d rounded everyone up. There was a murderer among the solids because only a solid could have done it. That was worrying enough, but more than that, Rose had been informed of this when she was standing in a corridor, searing pain in her hand as if she’d just dropped something blisteringly hot. Before she could look for it, the before the guards had arrived and had strong armed her into the cuffs. She couldn’t even say she was innocent because of that terrifying black hole in her memory.

Maybe if she tried really hard, she could remember something, anything to help the Doctor out when he arrived.

Rose closed her eyes and focused. Nothing came to her but infuriating black. So she relaxed instead, trying to remember the breathing exercise the first dalai lama had taught her. _She_ had met the first dalai lama.The thought made her grin. Granted she hadn’t known much about him beforehand, just a chap from Tibet who was a president monk or something. Bu they had really got on. At least the one from a few hundred years ago.

That was neither here nor there though and definitely not here.

 _Focus,_ Rose told herself. Relaxing. Breathing. In and out. Out and in. Trying to let her mind float. After a while, a shape started to form in her mind’s eye. A lurking Hamadian. Bigger than most of the others; saying, purring, whispering: ‘he’s waiting’. Who was? It couldn’t be another Hamadian. They didn’t have a gender, the Doctor had said. At least not one that humans would understand. (and she’d challenged him on it and he’d tried to explain and she couldn’t). So who was ‘he’ then? And was this a memory or something she was making up in her head?

But the memory or dream or whatever kept going and there was a thorny hand on her back, leading her down a hall that muffled their footsteps. Her heartbeat rang in her ears. A spot of light came on at the end of the hall and excitement welled in Rose’s chest. That was…

“Stop dragging yer feet!” the guard snapped outside, pulling her out of it. Rose blinked, her thoughts dissolving like mist. She tried to hold onto what was so important. Tried to remember. But it was gone as if it’d never been. Great.

The key scraped in some other lock and the tumblers rattled and groaned. Was someone else getting arrested to? Someone innocent? Someone who could provide a clue? Or just someone who had too many? Rose pushed herself from the wall and went to the barred door, having to stand on tiptoe to peer over it. A giddy sensation went through her as he saw the Doctor’s broad leather clad back.

“Hallo, stranger,” she said, grinning. He tensed.

“No talking!” the guard snapped, slamming her door with the truncheon so hard the wood vibrated. The Doctor half turned, some quiet expression crossing his face before it creased angrily.

“Least I’m not getting put in with you,” he said, voice hard. Rose’s heart dropped to her knees.

“What?”

He couldn’t think she’d done it! He couldn’t!

“I would rather die than spend another second with that mouth breathing gorilla.”

One blue eye flickered in a wink and Rose relaxed immediately.

“Well I’d rather die than be stuck with you, you big eared wart,” she said, unable to get the full force of snidness in it as the relief was just too much.

“I said no talking,” the guard growled.

“Sod off, you pig faced pickle brush,” the Doctor said. “I refuse to get put in with her and if you think you can force me you’ve got another thing coming!”

“Oh yeah?” The guard loomed tall, even taller than the Doctor, thorns poking out of its leathery skin.

“Yeah,” the Doctor said, so close as to practically impale himself on its chest spike if he tripped. “Come on just _try_ it.”

The guard hesitated. The Doctor shrugged as if dismissing him, settling back.

“I knew it. You couldn’t lick the brown side of a karaakas.”

The thorns quivered.

“I’ll show you,” the guard said, grabbing the Doctor’s shoulder in one huge hand. “Back from the door!” the guard snarled and pain shot up through her as if some sort of electrical current. Rose bit back a yelp and fell back, bumping hard against a wall to keep her balance.

“You didn’t have to do that!” the Doctor snapped as he was shoved inside. He whirled toward the door as if he’d go after the guard but the door slammed shut and was quickly locked again.

“Now who is licking the brown side of a karaakas?” the guard said as it locked the door. Then, laughing, it strode away with its peculiar clicking gait. Silence for a bit and Rose tried to shake the fuzziness from her brain. This was turning into not a very good day at all. But at least he was here with her, filling up the space with his presence, scowling at the door.

“Mouth breathing gorilla? Really?” she said at last, wishing she had her hands free so she could check the lump. His gaze slid over her.

“Yeah. Sounded bigger than ape.”

“Who’re you calling big?” Rose said, but he said nothing, moving instead to crane his head and look up at the window. She frowned, chewing on her lip. Was he still mad at the guard? Or about his friend? Or… Or… did he really think she’d done it? Or maybe _had_ she done it? Even if she had she hadn’t done it on purpose… she didn’t think… and he’d know that wouldn’t he?

“I… I didn’t do it you know,” she said, not brave enough to add the words: _I don’t think…_

“What? Course not,” He jumped a few times as if to get a better look. “They’ve really built this place up since last time.”

It didn’t surprise her that he’d been in a cell the last time, too. Aside from that, she wished she could relax at his confidence in her. If he didn’t think she’d done it, she couldn’t’ve. Except…

“Great cos… it’s a bit weird…” She bit on her lip again and looked away, idily shifting her weight to one foot to poke at he lines in the stone with the spiked heel on her other. “I don’t… remember anything, after you left…” And Rose was prepared to bet that it was a female Hamadian that took him to a private drink whatever the Doctor said. He’d looked too happy to do it. Not that she cared what he did, she firmly told herself. It was none of her business anyway.

He turned to look at her, blue eyes seeming to pierce straight through her and a guilty sort of feeling squirming through her gut. She had to drop her gaze and her hands clenched behind her. What if she _had_ done it. It didn’t make any sense but… Oh God what if she’d actually killed someone.

“Don’t remember? Did you hit your head? Drink something funny?”

She bit her lower lip. Shook her head.

“I can’t remember… I don’t think so… " 

“Well, we’ll figure it out.” He bumped his shoulder lightly against hers. “But I’m pretty sure you didn’t do it. Takes more than a little effort to knock them over, same with energy weapons. They made those bodies to be tough. Brilliant bioengineering, really. Even if it does make them a bit dull. Slower synaptic responses.”

Right, Rose remembered about that. The Hamadians were basically hyper intelligent slime molds about the size of jelly donuts. The bristly thorn forms were just like suits with nerve endings. It had brought them from being squished underfoot to the dominant species on the planet. Or moon or whatever.

“But to figure that out,” the Doctor was muttering to himself. “We’ve got to get out of here first. Need my sonic…”

“I thought it didn’t work on wood,” Rose said. And that door seemed very wooden unless she was missing something.

“Wood no, but the keyhole isn’t wooden is it?”

Now that she thought about it, no. It had looked brown like wood but had a kind of hard glossiness to it that reminded her of metal. She smiled. She knew he’d come through somehow.

He was struggling, shoulders moving up and down like he was trying to get his hands free. Then suddenly was slammed back against the wall with enough force to make her jump.

“Doctor! Are you alright?” she said, pushing off the wall to get closer to him, nearly falling in her haste. He was wincing but it was too dark in here to tell if he’d really been hurt or not. Even if he was there was nothing she could do about it.

“Oh that’s clever..” He muttered. “I hate biocuffs.”

“Biocuffs? Is that what these are?”

He nodded in the gloom.

“Full of tiny sensors, monitoring heart rate, breathing, muscle movement, that sort of thing. Reacts to stress. Useful way to keep track of prisoners. Most versions’ll just jolt you if you try to dislocate your shoulder to get your arms ‘round. This one ionizes and sticks you to the wall.”

“So what you’re telling me is you’re stuck there,” Rose said, to make sure she got it. She was feeling absurdly close to laughing for some reason even though it wasn’t funny.

“Stuck as glue,” he said. And even though she couldn’t see very well she could tell he was wearing that smile of; we’re in even deeper trouble than we were before. Isn’t it fantastic?

And…admittedly it kind of was.

Though it would be moreso if her head weren’t swimming.

“Looks like you’ll have to get it. Middle pocket. Right side.

Get…?

Oh right, his screwdriver.

She moved closer and then realized with a funny sort of jolt just how close she would have to get.

Well this would be interesting wouldn’t it?

She held her breath and sidled closer, until her arm was flush against his chest and then wriggled her hands in his coat, glad it was dark so he couldn’t see how red her face was. God, he was warm. Toasty. Comfortable.

 _Focus,_ she told herself sternly. She leaned half against him, finding the lip of his lower inner pocket but beyond that…

“You’re too bloody tall,” she muttered.

“And you’re too short…” He leaned forward, bending seemingly much as she could, jacket leaning open.. She stood on tiptoe, just reaching it, her fingers dancing on the edge; all to aware of the too warm breath ghosting over the top of her ridiculous dress. A soft churring beep started somewhere, muffled.

“Don’t worry,” the Doctor murmured. “We’ll get out of this.”

“Who said I was worried?” Rose said, but then remembered what he’d said. Biocuffs react to stress.

All kinds of stress, apparently.

 _Shut up,_ she told it. _Shut up. Shut up!_

The beeping continued, if anything it got louder, and flatter, more insistent.

Wait, if it reacted to her body, then…

Rose closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, faintly aware that the Doctor was breathing with her, as if trying to show her. She felt warm to her freezing toes and tried to hold onto that image instead. Of friendship and care. Whatever else he was her best friend and that he cared so deeply…

The beeping quieted, disappeared. Right. Rose lifted her chin and pushed herself up a little more, trying to to elbow him as she navigated the awkward way into his pocket. She was glad she’d worn the spiked heels now because she didn’t think she could even do this without. After what seemed like forever her hands found their way inside.Far more than they should probably if this was a regular pocket. But what about him was regular? Her fingers brushed something small and furry, and then something else like the edge of a paper bag, but sliding down along it, she found the reassuring shape of the sonic screwdriver.

Gratefully, she pulled it out, having to lean into him a little to do so. Even though it was dark she was close enough to make out little details. The short scrub of hair, the curve of his ear. If she kept on going like this the thing would start beeping again. She took another deep breath, focusing on the task at hand. Or rather the task in hand. It was a relief to get off of her toes and settle back down, the screwdriver clutched tightly in one hand.

“Turn so I can see it.”

She obeyed, relieved to have some space between them. When they got out of this mess she needed to get her head on straight about this.

“Right now turn it toward you. Carefully.”

He didn’t need to tell her twice. She barely breathed as she did it. It didn’t help that her fingers were feeling a bit chilly.

“Your thumb is right above the switch. Can you feel it?”

“Yeah.” And then it occurred to her. “Wait, I’m going to use this thing?”

“Of course you are.” She could hear the grin in his voice this time. “Excited?”

“A bit,” she admitted, grinning a bit herself and sticking her tongue between her teeth. And then in a serious voice. “I mean it’s not as exciting as the Tardis but It’ll do.”

He chuckled and she was grinning again. It still struck her as strange. Here they were on an alien planet both biocuffed, their future uncertain, right in the thick of it as they always were… and yet she felt absolutely safe with him. Excited even. Wondering what was going to happen next.

“Flick the switch,” he said. “Go on.”

She did. The sound wheedled almost alarmingly loud in the stone room, bouncing off the walls, piercing straight through her skull.

 

_She could hear it just above her. Something white and whirling, the sound loud and whirling with it._

‘ _No!’ she cried, struggling against the restraints that held her to the bed. Back and forth. But there was no getting up. No getting away. She tried to scream. Call for the Doctor but a cloth strap was forced cross her mouth, muffling it and the Hamadian leaned over, the and whirring in a high pitch heading straight for her forehead. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t run. She closed her eyes a moment before the white-hot heat--_

 

“Rose. _Rose!”_

The room was full of harsh beeping, frantic and insistent. She could feel the sonic screwdriver slip and grabbed at it, jabbing herself with her own nail as she did so. Every other part of her was shaking and her face was streaked with wet. It was a while before she could even speak.

“Wh--what was that? Oh God, what was it?” The sick fear feeling jangled around her brain and she felt at any moment the ground would drop out from under her. It would if she didn’t stop shaking but she couldn’t.

“I don’t know,” the Doctor said, soothingly. “We’ll figure it out. What happened? What did you see?”

“I…” she searched her memory. It was all one big blank space… and then something deeply terrifying. She shuddered, squeezing her eyes tight. Trying to bring it back. “I can’t remember. I want to. I’m trying to. But I can’t.” Why did this keep happening?

“It’s alright,” he said.

“ _Nothing_ about that was alright.” But it was silly. How could it not be? How could she be scared if she didn’t even remember what it was that she was scared of? Anyway she wasn’t hurt at all. Not even a little except where she jabbed herself.

So she just had to flick the switch again. It was no problem, right? Nothing really hurt her and maybe it was just a dream or some psychic thingummy. But her brain felt like frozen jelly. Every part of her wanted to keep away from that word for some reason. But she had to get over it! They had to get out of here. Only, as it was, she couldn’t seem to even breathe right and the stupid biocuffs kept beeping at her.

“That’s the second time you’ve forgotten something…” the Doctor said. Which did not help the beeping situation. She wished it would stop. She wished she could be as calm as him in the face of all this. She didn’t know what would ever make the Doctor beep. She took a deep breath and let it out. Then tried to speak as calmly as she could. Like it didn’t matter.

“Yeah… W-why do you think that is?”

“Could be anything. Projection, psychic lock, someone messing about in your head, side effects of dream pills, or good old fashioned trauma…”

“I feel loads better now, thanks.” She leaned back against him grumpily, trying to thump some air of out of him in the process or at least let him know she wasn’t happy. Not that it was his fault. Could be worse. Could be her head opened at a snap of the fingers. Though thinking about that didn’t make her feel much better.

“We’ll sort it,” he said and Rose flushed realizing her cuffs were still beeping in anxiety. Stupid things. She tried to calm herself down, even knowing she had to try the sonic again and risk that…whatever it was again. But that could come in a bit. She tried to focus on the moment. How warm he was. The subtle movement of his chest as he breathed and beneath that-- two hearts. Wacky. Alien. She’d never heard them but never doubted their existence. How could she? So when he said they’d sort it, she believed him.

More or less.

The sadder thing was this had started out so well, too. Just going to a party for his friend and-- wait-- hang on a minute.

“Why’d you get arrested anyway? Wasn’t …wasn’t it your friend we were coming to visit.”

“Oh they’re arresting every non-Hamadian. They’re not great with solidial recognition. One looks remarkably like the other to them. Not to mention it’s been over a hundred years for them and I looked a bit different back then.”

“What did you grow your hair out or something?”

“Something like that. Thought I taught them how to recognize me but I guess I should’ve worn the purple coat.”

“A purple coat?” Rose said, amused in spite of herself. “You?” She twisted her head to look up at his angular profile in the moonlight and wrinkled her nose. “No. Can’t see it.”

“I did. And a cravat.”

“Oh whatever!” she said, breath escaping her in a laugh. “You wandering round in a purple coat and cravat?” And that serious face peering out of a long tangle of black hair. Just imagining it gave her a case of the giggles which she had to swallow down since if she started she wouldn’t be able to stop.

“It suited me at the time.”

“I can’t see it suiting you ever.” And she didn’t want to imagine it. Not seriously anyway. Right here in this moment he was her Doctor. All leather jacket and jumper. Not some weird purple coat and cravat wearing eight hundred year old… Anyway, point was, she felt better. Not that she’d ever believe a word of it.

The Doctor made a soft noise that could have been a laugh or maybe something else. She decided it was a laugh… and if it wasn’t she’d sort it out later. Right now she was comfortable, as well as she could be anyway, and more importantly the beeping had stopped. Outside some creature, a bird or whatever, warbled a brief, sad song and just under that she thought she heard another beep-- but it was hard to say.

“You’ll have to try it again,” the Doctor said in a serious way. She didn’t like when he used that tone because it usually meant she wasn’t going to like what followed. But she bit her lip and nodded, pushing away from him as best she could and braced herself. She could do this. No matter what came at her, because he was behind her.

She braced herself, standing a little away from him, took a deep breath and reached for the switch again. There was the turn of keys in the lock of the prison door.

“Wait,” he said quietly. She waited, clutching the sonic screwdriver in a nervous grip. There was the prickling sound of root feet over stone as the Hamadians came closer. Two guards this time, coming to the door of their cell and blocking the light of the corridor. Rose felt her heart beat rise and she tried to take strength from the Doctor’s even breathing behind her. It would be alright.

The door swung inward with a clang.

“Which one of you,” the lead Hamadian growled. “Is the Doctor.”

“Oh that would be me,” the Doctor said cheerfully. “Definitely me. And I wouldn’t lie about that. Also neither of us has anything behind our backs…”

Laying it on a bit thick, wasn’t he? He’d said that the Hamadians were a bit dull, but…

“Turn around,” the Hamadian said.

“Can’t,” the Doctor said. “Stuck to the wall.”

“You then. Turn.”

“Nah you don’t want ‘em to do that, trust me.”

Wait. This was a trick wasn’t it? Did he want them to see the sonic screwdriver? Or was this some kind of double bluff?

“Do it,” the guard snapped.

“Do I want to do it?” Rose murmured, trying to get the hang of this so she wouldn’t screw it up.

“Do it or I’ll blast your head off.”

Rose turned, finding herself almost alarmingly close to him, especially as he was looming over her like that. He seemed to be trying to tell her something with his gaze. Something she didn’t quite understand.

“I recognize that device,” the other guard said. “It is the Doctor.”

Rose would have relaxed except the Doctor’s serious gaze was still pinned on her. He nodded once, slowly, as if she was supposed to go with it. Go with what? Was he trying to make it so they thought she was him? God, she hoped not! She wasn’t bad at acting or anything, not that she’d ever been on stage… But there was no way she could pretend to be him. She hadn’t even finished school let alone paid much attention when she was there. Maybe it was something different, though. She hoped it was….

She tensed as she heard the thing prickling closer and had the sudden fleeting hope of the Doctor having freed himself suddenly and would burst from around her to clock the Hamadian in the jaw. Or even just take her hand and make a break for it. He didn’t move. His expression didn’t change. _Come on,_ she thought. _Come_ _ **on**_ _._ And the damn thing started beeping again, though softly. A large thorny hand grabbed her arm and nearly pulled her off her feet making the beeps jump in intensity.

“You’re coming with us, Doctor.”

Oh _hell_. The beeps became sharper as she was dragged from the room, struggling to keep up. He gave her a faint smile as if to say it would be alright but she couldn’t help but see it a little sad, too. How could she be confident in that? But she had no choice right now and if he believed in her she couldn’t let him down. She tried to breathe and keep calm. As best she could. The Doctor wouldn’t panic after all. He’d go along with it right? Thinking up something clever along the way. Maybe she couldn’t do the latter right now but at least she could make the beeping stop.

She breathed. In out. In out.

“What about the other one?” said the other Hamadian.

“Kill it.”

“No!” The full fledged panic was back like an electric shock straight down her spine.Rose writhed, trying to get away, twisting her ankle in the process and scraping her arm up on one of the thorns. She barely felt it. The Hamadian held her arm tightly and she heard the whine of a charging weapon. “No stop! You can’t! He’s my _xxfift_!”

The word left her without her even knowing it was there. Whatever it was, though, it worked. The other Hamadian hesitated.

“I didn’t know solids had _xxfifts_ …” her guard said.

“They do! And he’s mine! So if you kill him…” She didn’t know how to fill in the rest of that. Fortunately it seemed she didn’t have to. The other Hamadian let the weapon fall to the side.

“Well we’ll leave that up for the consul to decide,” her guard said, jerking her. “Now _move_.”

She moved, heart hammering in her throat. Then she straightened and lifted her chin, trying to pretend she had all the confidence in the world. She just had to do this somehow, that was all. Fake being the Doctor as long as she could. Because if she didn’t, she had a feeling, they’d both end up dead.

 

 

 


	2. Hell and Leather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose experiences a trial by fire, in several different ways.

The Consul of the First rose around her on great chairs, terrifying tree people with glowing red eyes and glowing crystals around their necks. Above them the domed roof showed space and a billion stars, chunks of freely floating rock and the slightest glimmer of atmosphere. This was a sight that the Doctor probably saw all the time, and Rose herself had seen scenes like that more than once now, but it was still awe-inspiring. Just to realize that space was so very big and she was so very small within it.

So very small and so very much in trouble.

Rose dropped her head to meet the red glow of their eyes in what she hoped was confident defiance. They had left her standing here for three solid minutes now, without saying a word. Would the Doctor have spoken up by now? Or would he have been chatting up the guard? Getting some information somehow? Even now she couldn’t be sure. She realized she was chewing on her lower lip and stopped herself, a bolt of chill going through her. She arranged her face into a more serious expression, then rethought that and tried to relax instead as if she didn’t care.

“Bit cold in here, isn’t it?” she said, turning toward the guard and trying to sound conversational. “Any chance of cranking the heat up?”

“Quiet,” the guard growled, jamming the large energy weapon against her shoulder and pushing her to face the Consul again. Well, chatting up guards was right out. She bet the Doctor would have been able to get them to turn the heat up. Or maybe sonic’d it somehow and not gotten the screwdriver taken away from him to sit on a metal table in front of the Consul’s raised dais. She shifted her weight, hating the shoes and the chill draft that prickled on entirely too much skin. God she was getting gooseflesh on gooseflesh in here.

Then she got an idea.

“Look, what do I have to do to prove--”

“Quiet!” the guard snapped, prodding her again but harder this time. Rose stumbled a bit, annoyed it hadn’t worked. Maybe if she knew what they wanted to see she could find a way to fake it somehow. She wondered if she should speak again, but no. The Doctor definitely didn’t get shoved around this much. After what seemed like an age, the craggiest of the Consul lifted its head and said in a voice like stone grinding on stone:

“Admit the others.”

Others? What others? Other Hamadians? Would this be some sort of psychic test? She would bomb that one for sure. Rose tried to turn and see, but was jabbed in the shoulder once more. She was going to get a bruise there at this point. It wasn’t more Hamadians that filed in though, but, well, other solids, she supposed. Twenty or so of those who had been at the party. Almost all of them were humanoid, if not entirely human. She’d learned it wasn’t always easy to tell human from not. But some were definitely not. There was a six armed lady with deep blue skin named Durgashakti, Rose remembered suddenly in a flash. They’d sipped the funky tasting wine and chatted about something or other. All six arms were pinned behind her now, and it was sad and strange to look at.

Other names filtered in her mind as she looked at the assembled. Tofleur, Gran’ya, and a Pan named Oeagrus who had tried to chat her up. He didn’t look so confident now. He kept tapping a cloven hoof against the tiled floor and his strangely beautiful horizontally slitted eyes rolled back and forth as if he was frantically seeking an escape route. Rose didn’t blame him one bit. As the last of them filed in and the door slithered shut, Rose felt a kind of sinking in the pit of her stomach. She’d been hoping to see the Doctor, she realized. Hoping that he’d somehow escaped and joined the prisoner train to help her out and save the day. But if he was here, she didn’t see him.

_It’ll be alright,_ she told herself, shifting her weight again. _You’ve got this._ A nervous beep sounded from her biocuffs anyway, but that was alright too, she hoped, because everyone seemed to be beeping. Oeagrus’ sounded almost like a frantic heartbeat, shrill and echoing off the walls.

“You have all been summoned here,” the craggy Hamadian said. “Because you have all claimed to be the Doctor.”

Oh great. She hadn’t realized there’d be a competition! Well, didn’t matter. She shook a strand of hair from her eyes. She’d just have to prove it, that was all.

“We Hamadian view lying as the highest form of disrespect,” the craggy one continued. “But no matter, the light will shine on the truth.”

“I am the Doctor! I swear it!” Oaegrus cried, his voice rough. “Anyone else is lying!”

“No you’re lying! I’m the Doctor!” cried a man Rose hadn’t met.

“No me!” said a woman.

“I am!” said another. “I’ll show you my degrees!”

Rose hesitated from adding her voice to the fray, half hoping she’d hear: “That would be me.” In a nice North accent. Once again she was disappointed.

“Silence!” another of the Hamadian Consul roared and Rose started, slick cold fear sliding through her. The Inquisitor was not one to anger. They would break spines as easily as sticks if they could. The others must have known this too because silence fell like a lead weight except for the insistent beeping.

“It’s clear you know nothing of the Doctor’s physiology,” said a dark haired woman. Charlotte, Rose remembered. “How can you even tell which one of us is telling the truth?”

It was a good question. A clever question. Rose wished she would have thought of that herself.

“The light will lead the way,” said the craggy Hamadian. “We will find which one of you is the Doctor…”

“And the rest will be punished,” said the Inquisitor.

It seemed like nearly everyone cried out at once. A cacophony of beeps filled the room. Oeagrus bellowed a full terrified sound and broke into a run, headbutting a guard with a terrific splintering noise; then charged for the door.

“No, don’t!” Rose cried, but it was too late. Vines shot out from the doorfame and wrapped around him. He struggled and then his body arched in a painful curl as thousands of volts of electricity raced through him. Rose winced and looked away, trying not to gag on the faint smell of burning hair and ozone. It was bad enough that she could hear his body hit the floor with a resounding thump. That quieted everyone and they seemed to pull closer.

“And now to begin,” the Inquisitor said. “The one with degrees.Kill it.”

A woman festooned with thousands of beads was shoved forward, crashing to her knees, the beads clattering like bones. The guard lifted the energy weapon.

“Stop!” Rose said, trying to get between the woman and the gun but her own guard held her back with a thorny hand, and in a second it was too late. The woman fell forward, glassy eyed, beads bouncing and rolling across the floor. “What do you mean by just killing everyone? You can’t do that!”

“Solids destroyed our Roobix’s body and taken _xifi_ ,” said the Inquisitor. “And so all solids must pay the price.”

“That’s not fair!” Rose said, but she knew it wouldn’t work. There had to be some clever way out of this. Something she could do or say or something the Doctor would do or say. Durgashakti was being force by now. She closed her eyes and began to murmur something in a low drone, like she was praying. The whine of the energy weapon filled the air. Suddenly Rose had a last desperate idea. A slender hope but the only one she had.

“If you do that, if you kill any more people, then I won’t help you,” she said. “And that’s what you want, isn’t it? My help. The Doctor’s help.” Because if they didn’t know who was the Doctor, why risk killing him? And if they wanted to know who the Doctor was, well he was their friend wasn’t he? At least for one of them. And what else would they need him for but to help them out? The gruff Hamadian nodded and the weapon lowered, though the intense hum still vibrated.

“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” said the Inquisitor.

“Because you found the sonic screwdriver on me, yeah?” She said nodding to it. “And you know what that means.”

The other prisoners were looking at her as if they didn’t believe her one bit, but she hoped they kept their mouths shut so she could keep them from getting killed.

“And you will help us with our goal? And to find and bring the murderer to justice?”

“I’ll help you,” Rose said, hoping that was vague enough that when they got this figured out, the Doctor wouldn’t be trapped into doing anything he’d rather not do. “But no one else gets killed, or it’s off, yeah?” And then so _she_ wouldn’t get caught in an impossible request. “And before I do anything I need to take a nap or something and I need to talk to… uh…my companion.”

There was silence and Rose prayed that it had worked.

“Companion?” said the Consul of the State who was the youngest, or at least looked like it.

“Their _xxfift,”_ said her guard. “We’ve already taken that measure to secure it of course.” As if it was obvious.Well she wasn’t about to look the gift horse in the mouth.

“Very well, you have one sleep cycle,” said the craggy Hamadian. “And then to work.”

Rose nodded, trying to keep straight and proud as the others were filed out, throwing her a mix of grateful or distrusting looks. Durgashakti met Rose’s eyes and bowed her head as if in thanks. Rose wanted to say don’t mention it. She’d pulled it off this far with sheer luck for the most part. Her guard took her arm roughly, nearly lifting her off her feet again and turned them toward the doorway. She thought to ask about the sonic screwdriver and then decided it was better not to push her luck.

“And Doctor,” said the Inquisitor. The guard stopped and Rose looked over her shoulder. The creature was standing, twelve feet tall, and blocking out the stars. She could easily imagine herself crushed in those big solid hands. “If you are wise you will not fail us.”

She didn’t get a chance to even nod before she was hauled out of the room, straight past the still smoking body of Oeagrus, as if to make a point. Rose swallowed and looked away. Aside from that and the bead woman, it was so far so good.

She’d done it.

It was over.

So why were her legs still shaking?

 

****

 

Though Rose was glad not to have been sent back to the cell again, by the time they got to wherever she was going, her legs really _were_ shaking and she felt about ready to drop.The Hamadians didn’t believe in lifts and though she was in relatively good shape, a climb of ten flights in spiked heels and a turned ankle ended up a kind of agony. At least her guard hadn’t gone terribly fast. Nor had it asked any questions or given any accusations. That was kind of a relief. They paused in front of a door. The guard moved behind her and did something. There was a faint click and Rose’s hands were finally free. Sort of. One of her wrists remained cuffed but at least she could rotate her shoulders now and shake out her fingers which had gone a bit pins and needles.

“You are not to leave unless being escorted,” the guard said, dropping a crystal on a chain around her neck. “You leave you die.”

“Right…” Rose said, stroking the crystal absently with a finger. The guard brushed a hand over the door and it grew open. Up here was a lot different from the stone and wood of the prisons and she couldn’t help but wonder why. Then answered her own question. It was made for their comfort of course. A little bit of home on a barren moon. The guard waved her inside and she stepped in, nervously avoiding the vines, then looked round as the door grew closed behind her.

It was quite a large room, about half the size of Mum’s flat, and looked a bit posh. There was a sitting area with a haphazard mix of furniture. A desk. A shelf of books with a helpful ladder to reach the top shelves. A correctly sized W.C. thank god, tucked off to the side behind a curtain and, most appealing right now… a nestlike bed closed round with velvet curtains. She probably should sit in one of the chairs to wait for the Doctor and resist the temptation of trying out the soft bed, but right now she needed it. She sighed, sitting on the edge and slipping out of her shoes, sighing with relief. Much better. The room was still chilly though and behind the curtains promised warmth and sweet darkness so she could let it all out if she wanted. And today had started out so well.

“So much for a party,” she murmured to herself, flopping back through the curtains and right onto something soft that grunted.

A stomach.

Rose yelped and scrambled to her knees, wrenching back the curtains. The Doctor squinted at her in the dim light with one eye.

“You’ve got a hard head, did you know that.”

“Oh thank God it’s you,” Rose said, flopping sideways on the bed which was just as soft as it looked. “It’s just been awful this entire time. I thought I was going to die, I really did.” She opened her eyes and frowned. “Other people weren’t so lucky.”

“Tell me everything that happened,” the Doctor said. “Don’t leave out a single detail.”

“Right.” Rose sat up, stretching her legs out in front of her and absently scooting a little closer to his lean, and most importantly, warm, frame. She told him everything, trying to remember all the relevant details but she was sure there were some parts she missed.

“Also I couldn’t get your screwdriver back,” Rose said, staring at her toes so she wouldn’t have to look at him. “Sorry about that. An’ I tried not to get you into anything but…”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. But I wonder what the Consul wants with me…”

“Don’t know,” Rose said, then suddenly realized and glared at him. “You!” She smacked his arm lightly. “What was all that about, telling them I was you! You could have got yourself killed!” And now that she was looking at him, realized something else. “Can’t you put your arms down at all?” Because as it was with his biocuffs pinned to the headboard like that and the rest of him stretched out it… well… it looked more than a little…like it definitely should not be.

“Nope!” he said, almost cheerfully. “And don’t worry about it. You saved the day, it sounds like. Well done.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Rose said, tucking her knees up to her chest and feeling a bit proud. But then she prodded him in the ribs with a finger. “But don’t think you’re going to get away with what you pulled again, mister. I _will_ worry about it. Someone’s got to, and since you’ve got no one else that someone’s me.”

“Well the important thing right now is we’ve got some time to plan,” he said, not acknowledging it and Rose flushed a little, tucking her hand under her knees again and wondering if she’d overstepped her bounds somehow. Of course she’d look after him any way but maybe they weren’t at the point where she could say things like that so freely? Or maybe it was the all you got is me, part. True she’d never seen the Doctor with anyone else except that one Hamadian but…

“You’ll have to keep being me for a little while longer.”

“What? You mean we’re not going to tell them?” Rose said, forgetting her own drama for a minute in the face of an even bigger one. “Anyway, I don’t think I could keep it up.”

“Sure you can. Act like you know everything and ask a lot of stupid questions,” he said. “That’s about all you need to do for a murder investigation anyway. Because, firstly, if we tell them we lied now they’re not going to trust us and will take revenge where they can. You’ve seen what that’s like.”

“Right,” Rose said, remembering the smell of burning hair. She rested her cheek against her knees and took a deep breath. Nothing she could do for them except make sure it didn’t happen again.

“Secondly,” the Doctor said, distracting the sad thoughts a bit. “If everyone’s going to be watching you than I’ll be free to have a look round.”

“You sure they’re just going to let you poke around? They seem to have a pretty tight grip on the ‘solids’.” She couldn’t imagine them letting him do whatever he wanted, even if she was the Doctor.

“Yeah once they feel they can trust you, no one’s going to notice an attached _xxfift_ wandering around. It’s considered impolite. Culturally trained out of them for the most part. Brilliant move, calling me that.”

“Thanks…” Rose wished she could take the credit for it. Where had that word even come from? She must have overheard it or something. That had to be the only explanation. She rubbed her head, wondering if she should try to remember but even the thought of it set her teeth on edge and she decided maybe not right now. She’d had a long enough day already. “Sorry, but what is an… an exsf…fieyfet?”

He gave her a look which she couldn’t quite read, but seemed concerned. Well she had been able to pronounce it once and she wasn’t sure why she couldn’t again… and whatever it was, it had worked, so it couldn’t have just been random luck. She wished she could remember, but hoped he didn’t bring it up. She didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to think back or…or try. “Must’ve forgot…” she murmured.

“ _Xxfift,_ ” he said, patiently and she smiled a bit even as her ears burned. “Basically a ambulatory hormone depositary.”

“What,” Rose said, heat spreading from her ears to her cheeks. She didn’t know much about this kind of thing, but she knew hormones and what _they_ were linked to and on second thought she didn’t _want_ to know what it was about but the Doctor continued, stubbornly unable to read her mind.

“Basically, when a _ixch_ reaches the end of its cycle, it gets ready to become a _xifi_ \--”

“Which is when they’re ready for ovioids!” Rose said, remembering and proud to retain that much.

“Close enough. They’re only oviods after they’ve been fertilized. But for simplicities sake, let’s go with that. Anyway, they produce a bunch of hormones in order to produce pheromones to attract an _xuxul_.”

“Uh huh,” Rose said, her head already spinning.

“But if they become overexcited and produce too many hormones, their bodies will literally burst-- so all excess hormones are deposited in a _xxfift_ who is always on the move trying to metabolize it.”

Well that was as clear as mud. But no wait, she could puzzle it out. She just had to think of it in human terms first. So for right now, ovioids were eggs that wanted fertilization. So the not!females had to attract a not!man to fertilize… wait…

“So if that’s right then they think I’m…” Rose started.

“Ready to mate,” the Doctor said. Oh God…. Her entire face was on fire now. She covered it with her hands, wishing she had somewhere to hide. Because if she was ready to… to do that… so much so that she had to put her hormones somewhere else then…

“And they think you’re…” she said, not wanting to know but pretty sure that she did already.

“ _Im_ possibly needy.”

“Oh God I am _so_ sorry!”

She wanted to die. She wanted the bed to swallow her up. Something was beeping. Oh, she was beeping. Those bloody cuffs.

“Calm down or they’ll hear you,” the Doctor said in a harsh whisper. “If they start to wonder…”

“Sorry!” Rose shifted onto her stomach and buried the cuff under the pillow, which muffled it somewhat. This had the added bonus of her being able to bury her face in the pillow and try not to set it on fire with her cheeks. Which was even more difficult when another thought occurred to her. What if they had to _prove_ it? She could do it with Mickey. It would be easy with Mickey. And it wasn’t as if she thought they’d really go in for a show. But she couldn’t see herself slipping her hand in the Doctor’s back pocket to go for a grab or him doing it to her… Or pulling down his head for a kiss, his mouth opening over hers, breath hot, large hand sliding down the small of her back.

Right.

Right stopping that train of thought immediately--

Especially when he was _right beside her._ What was she even _thinking_. Among a million other things completely wrong with that imagining, she was still kind of sort of attached in a way to Mickey and, more importantly, the Doctor definitely didn’t feel anything of the sort toward her.

And it was just about that time when he reminded her of that fact.

“You humans. You just overreact to anything, don’t you? This is a natural process, you know. Practically every species in the universe does this kind of thing even if it’s with itself! But you lot act like it’s something to be embarrassed about.”

She turned her head to the side, glaring at his arm.

“Well we’ll see how red _you_ get when we have to--” Snog she was going to say. Didn’t want to say. Wouldn’t let that word enter her mouth. “--do something natural.”

“Fortunately for us, they don’t know what that looks like,” he said. Rose sat up on her knees, glad the beeping had tone down to a small murmur, and brushed her hair over her ears.

“What d’you mean?”

“I mean we could do just about anything and claim it was transference. Even gazes across the room. That sort of thing.”

Rose bit her lip. Well it wasn’t as if she wasn’t watching the Doctor frequently, and maybe more than she should honestly. Only…

“I don’t think they’ll fall for that. Seems too easy.”

“Probably.” He let out a breath. She looked at his profile a moment. Ruggedly handsome some would call it. Too bleeding old for you, Mum would say. Why can’t you stick closer to someone your own age. Mickey for one. Or maybe that nice boy in number four.

Though to be fair, Mum hadn’t said that for years now since she’d pretty much settled on Mickey. Until he showed up and turned everything upside down. Now practically every day was an adventure. Even this in its own way. And she didn’t have to settle for anything. She barely _could_ settle at all.

“We could leave,” he said thoughtfully. “I’m willing to be tthe TARDIS hasn’t been found yet. Wouldn’t be too much trouble to get to it and get out.”

“Nah,” she said with a grin.

“Nah,” he echoed with a grin of his own, meeting her eyes so her stomach did a little flip flop. They wouldn’t until they’d seen this thing to the end, she knew. Until they’d solved the mystery and saved who they could. Also his friend was part of it, she couldn’t forget that. She’d have to ask him about them. Maybe tomorrow or…well the end of the sleep cycle whenever that was. Right now it was already too much. Watching him though, she did get an idea… Something they could and did do as natural as breathing.

She shifted the chain of the crystal against her neck, then shifted so she could lean in a little and slip her hand against his, between his really, twining their fingers together. She closed her eyes, liking the feel of his palm against hers, the roughness of it and the softness. Knowing that it was these hands that operated the most fantastic time machine in the world. That had saved her life more than once and had saved others, too. That were deft and clever and just a little bit lonely.

His fingers closed against hers and she smiled, feeling a bit giddy, then to make it a little of a joke out of it, tilted her head back and opened her mouth just a little. After a moment she let out a contented sigh and slid her hand away, absently trailing her fingers lightly over his wrist before letting both hands fall in her lap and grinning at him.

“Was it good for you too?” she said.

“Good for me? You’ve finished and I’ve barely started!”

“Oh shut up!” she said with a laugh, lightly swatting his arm. He chuckled too and for a moment she was happy. It didn’t take her long until she frowned again. It couldn’t be comfortable with his hands bound up like that. She tried without much luck to tug the biocuffs free.

“D’you think maybe if I asked the guards they’d set you loose?”

“Doubt it. Anyway don’t worry. Like I said, as soon as they trust you, they won’t have a reason to worry about me.”

“Hmm.” It wasn’t an answer she was satisfied with. She was willing to bet if their positions were reversed he’d have her out of cuffs in a wink. Though on the other hand she wasn’t sure if she’d be very happy walking around as a hormone depository or whatever.

“Stop worrying,” he said, face softening. “Get some sleep. You’ve got a long day tomorrow and being me isn’t easy.”

That just made her worry more. He must have read her face because right after added:

“You’ll be fine. Only Roobix knew me, and that was a long time ago and a strained relationship to begin with. But if things go pear shaped forget me and go back to the TARDIS.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Rose said, feeling a weird sort of shiver at him saying that name. “I’m not leaving you behind like this.”

“This is nothing,” he said. “Worse comes to worse they’ll realize I have two hearts and know who I am.”

“Nice try, but they don’t know anything about Time Lord physiology,” Rose said, folding her arms and mentally thanking the woman who had spoken up. And then: “Two hearts…” she shook her head. “Don’t think I’ll ever get over that. I mean you look like just an ordinary bloke.” She grinned a little. “Except for the ears.”

“You humans just don’t know good looking ears when you see them.”

“Didn’t say I didn’t fancy them…” she said, giving one of them a playful little flip. He grunted, which seemed a typical male response-- and she caught herself thinking about rubbing the soft part of the earlobe between her fingers, trailing a line down his neck.

She snatched her hand back to herself,

Clearly she was overtired, overwrought and very much over thinking things that shouldn’t be thought.

Sleep. She needed sleep. And a clearer head in the morning with any luck.

“Do you want any covers?” she said, pulling them up.

“Nah. I’m fine.”

She wasn’t sure if she was satisfied with that answer either-- but sharing the covers was probably a bridge too far, especially as--when she scooted down into them, the hem of her dress scooted up.

Never wearing this thing again.

Ever.

She pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and tried to clandestinely wriggle it back down, though couldn’t help but notice the bed moved with every twitch.

“Wardrobe malfunction?” he said flatly. She huffed.

“None of yours!” she said, and lightly back kicked him in the leg. He chuckled and she found herself smiling too. It wasn’t so bad. Maybe she was overreacting a bit. After all she was an adult and he was definitely an adult several times over so there was absolutely nothing to be worried about. So she closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against the soft pillow, taking in a deep breath; loving how the air smelled of flowers and, ever so faintly, leather.

 

 


	3. The Investigation... and other things.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The struggle is real as Rose fights her hormones and herself to try and keep a level head. Meanwhile the ruse as the Doctor continues, but as the investigation deepens, Rose only finds more questions that she can't even begin to find the answers to. 
> 
> Only that something is wrong. 
> 
> Very wrong.

Warmth. Soft bed, silk sheets, hazy familiar smell in the air, slowly her mind refocused as she drifted out of the long dark sleep. She felt luxurious, as if this was a long time in coming. She shifted her legs against the silken fabric just to feel it against her calves, her thigh, burrowed her hand under the cool pillow and spread her palm against the silk there. Wonderful. She sighed, content, despite the faint urgent feeling in the pit of her stomach like she’d forgotten something.

…Or maybe just realized something, she thought drowsily, as the bottom of her foot brushed the length of a shin. It wasn’t that she minded much. After once or twice in a fumble, you had to expect that sort of thing from a bloke, mum always said. Mickey was harmless enough and a gentleman besides… Granted usually he was too drunk to even realize there were things to do… But still. She turned toward him, snuggling closer, wondering what she was missing about all this.

“Tol’ ya I don’t mind,” she murmured, trailing a hand up the plane of his chest and wondering absently what he was doing wearing a jumper to bed. “But I also tol’ ya to ask first.” And she gave his nipple a little pinch, just to make him jump. And jump he did.

“Ow! What was that for?” said a decidedly Northern accented 900 year old alien. “It’s not like I had a say!”

Rose jolted awake, a yelp strangling in her throat that was cut off as she jerked away so hard she fell off the bed. She stared up at him, both hands pressed over her mouth as heat flamed her cheeks. He was scowling a bit, wriggling as if trying to pull his hands free from where they were still attached to the wall.

She had just pinched his nipple.

She had just snuggled up to him and pinched his nipple.

Oh God…

“I am _so_ sorry,” she said, words muffled by her hands. “I am, I thought you were Mickey!”

“Is that how you wake him up in the morning? Almost feel sorry for him!” He flomped against the bed with a sigh. “But it’s fine. Over now. So stop your beeping.”

Beep…? Oh this damn cuff! Rose glared at it, wondering if she could shut it up by bashing it against the floor. Probably she’d break something in it and they’d never be able to get it off. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on something else. Anything else. How hard the floor was, how the hem of her dress had all shifted about… she tugged it down, then rested her head on her knees again, arms loosely wrapped around them, half wishing she could hide.

“Come on,” he said, softer now. “You’ve got other things to worry about. Listen.”

She raised her head and tried to muffle the beeping with her other arm as she listened. She didn’t hear anything though until a faint groan signified the door was about to open. Rose scrambled to her feet, tugging the hem of her dress down once more, just as the door slithered open and the Hamadian guard stood framed in the doorway, energy weapon pointed at them, the crystal pendant clinking against its wooden chest and glowing a faint pink as if it was startled.

“What’s happening?” it growled at them. “What’s going on? Why are you reacting?”

What was she supposed to say? Definitely not the truth! She was not going to tell some random alien, that also probably wanted to kill her, that she was embarrassed over pinching some bloke in a weird place.

“Well, why do you think?” she said finally, a bit frazzled, pushing a fluff of hair behind her ear and narrowed her eyes when it slid right back to tangle about her face. There was a moment of scary silence and she bit her lip, resisting the urge to say: ‘right?’, as if she really was hiding something big, because, quite honestly, it would be an embarrassing secret to die over.

“Oh,” it said finally, seeming a bit cowed as it hunched over and the crystal glowed a brighter pink. It lowered the weapon and then straightened. “In any case, Doctor, since you have rested, your presence is required at the consul chamber.”

The biocuff beeped again in the sudden flare of panic. She’d half forgotten she was supposed to be the Doctor. She wasn’t ready. She’d barely had time to rub the sleep from her eyes. What would the Doctor do? If only he would speak up. She could almost feel his gaze boring into her back and she curled her toes under, feeling a bit like reading aloud Latin phrases in school with her wonky pronunciation.

“Um… maybe can I just… have something to eat first?” she said. The Hamadian seemed thoughtful.

“I will pass the request along. But be ready.” And it leaned back out, the door slithering shut behind it. Rose waited until she was sure it had gone before sitting on the edge of the bed and resting her hands on her legs, absently picking at nail as her cheeks flamed for a different reason.

“Sorry… ‘M probably not doing your reputation much good.”

“Nah, you’re doing fine.”

“Dunno if I’d call that just now fine.” Oh she’d been all well and good when in front of the consul. Though she couldn’t be too proud of that since two people had died because of it. She could distinctly remember the sounds of beads rattling across the floor like small bones and rubbed her arms absently. It was fine for tense moments but what if she slipped up without thinking?

“You really think I can do this?” She chewed on her lower lip and picked at a nail, knowing that even having to ask the question pretty much answered it. “I mean you’re… you. You know, all time traveling brilliant alien…” She hunched her shoulders and muttered. “And I’ve not even got my A levels.”

“First of all, remember that to them you’re also a time traveling alien.”

“That’s true…” Didn’t make her feel much better, but she couldn’t deny it.

“Secondly, just about anyone with enough attention span can be educated, but it takes a great mind to be brilliant and you, Rose Tyler, have brilliance in spades.”

She smiled in spite of herself, feeling warm right down to her toes. He couldn’t mean that, said the rational part of her brain. He really couldn’t. So why did she believe him? Fighting, mostly unsuccessfully to hide her smile, she peered at him over her shoulder.

“You really believe that?”

“Absolutely,” he said with a wide grin. She couldn’t help but grin back, biting her tongue between her teeth.

“Then you’d better watch it or I’ll be after your job next.”

His grin faded into a smile that she couldn’t read and for a moment she felt as he he was looking at her from far away. Had she made a bad joke somehow? Touched on a sensitive subject? After a moment he gave her a brief smile and nodded toward the doors.

“Looks like our friend is coming back.”

“Look at you and your super sonic ears,” she said, glad for the distraction. She wasn’t sure what lay behind those sad eyes and sometimes she didn’t want to. It seemed entirely too big for her. She got up off the bed and straightened her dress. “Hope they’ve brought something. I’m famished.”

When the door slid open there were two of them this time, the big and bulky guard and a smaller hunched Hamadian, decorated here and there with branches of living leaves, holding a crate between its gnarled hands. The maid, Rose thought, or something like it. Both of their crystals were faintly pink once more.

“We’ve brought food and other accouterments for a solid's morning ritual,” said the guard. “Please be swift.”

“Right,” Rose said, and then struck by inspiration. “And since you’re here, get my…” no she wasn’t going to try to pronounce that word right now. But what could she use? “…bloke….” She winced a little, mentally apologizing. “…off the wall, would you?”

“We cannot,” the guard said. “It is against orders.”

That was fine. She’d planned for this. It was pretty good, too, or so she hoped.

“I don’t care about your orders.” She folded her arms and gave them a look she hoped would be mysterious and penetrating. “If he doesn’t metabolize all the hormones I’ve dropped in him he’s going to pop, and then I will.”

The doctor made a coughing sound which she chose to take as a good sign and pressed her lips together, mentally willing them to cooperate.

“Well?”

The maid’s leaves rustled uncertainly and the guard made an embarrassed grinding noise.

“Very well, but if it leaves the room it will be killed on sight,” the guard said, pulling something like a flat metal square from a small gap in it’s wooden skin she hadn’t noticed before. It didn’t move forward though and Rose wondered if she’d done something wrong or it had caught on to something. But then it looked at the maid.

“Would you…?”

Which obviously the maid would not because it set the crate down and hurried away a fast as its roots could carry it, the sound like a thousand mice skittering over the floor. Rose tried not to laugh at the absurd thought and instead held her hand out for the key, giving the guard a _look_ , like an instructor taking a toy away from a rowdy student. After another moment, it handed the key over.

Rose turned and allowed herself a brief moment of glee at the success, then smoothed out her expression and approached where the Doctor lay, watching with his intense blue gaze. She shifted her gaze to the key as a weird shiver went through her. It didn’t look like much of a key, just with a thinner bit that reminded her of a razor and two blinky lights and two buttons. She chewed on her lip. She’d never been any good at tech. Maybe the Doctor could whisper instructions at her.

She pulled back the curtain and sat on the edge of the bed, hit at once by the smell of leather. She was never going to be able to think about it the same way again was she? Rose pushed that thought out of her way before it had time to take root and held up the key, opening her mouth to ask. The Doctor raised his eyebrows and looked toward the door. She looked too. The guard was still there, holding the crate now, the crystal flashing uncertain colors of pale yellow. Right.

She took a deep breath and let it out, trying to appear calm and collected. Pressing the key to the center of the cuffs, she allowed it to stick then pressed both buttons simultaneously, then she pulled it off, flipped it and dragged the razor bit between the seam. With a soft hiss the biocuffs released. The Doctor lowered his hands from the wall and separated them, flexing his fingers.

Hey it worked!

She was almost about to say it aloud but the guard was still watching. Then she got another idea,an even better one than the last. Rose lifted her head, looking at the guard down the length of her nose.

“You can leave that there, I’ll be out when I’m ready.”

“I am supposed to stay and guard,” the guard said.

“Rose…” the Doctor murmured. What? She wasn’t sure what he meant by saying her name like that but this idea was really great! She had to carry through. She tossed her hair over her shoulder.

“Suit yourself.” And laced her fingers with the Doctor’s pressing the key into his hand as she did and tilting her head back, though keeping one eye open a sliver so she could watch the guard fairly drop the box and scurry out of the room, the door growing closed behind it.

She grinned, but her grin faded at his impassive expression.

“Great job,” he said, taking her wrist with his warm fingers and gently turning her hand over. “Now give it back.” He pressed the key into her palm.

“What? Why?” had she done something wrong? She’d thought she was amazing. “Now you can get out whenever you want.”

“And get xfix into trouble,” the Doctor said. “Which, aside from xifix just following orders, antagonizing guards is one way to get more obstacles to stand in your way than not. And it’s not right to embarrass them, Rose. It’s just a tactic to use if we must. Nothing more.”

She closed her hand over the key, stung. She felt like the receiving end of a lecture--which is not a position she liked one bit.

“Look but okay, those guys? They almost killed you. And I get that your friend was one of them but--” And it was true she didn’t want to get an innocent guard in trouble but-- “They didn’t have any problems killing others, under orders or not.” Not that she could tell if it was that one specifically but…

“Well they’re not going to thank you for getting them in trouble and humiliating them, are they? D’you think I’m really that much of a prat?”

“Sometimes, yeah!” Was he seriously getting angry at her for… She got up from the bed scrubbed her hands through her hair. She felt vile. She needed a wash and a breakfast and to not to be the Doctor and yeah… speaking of that. “You’re the one who wanted me to do this, alright?” In fact…. She turned on him, her hands on her hips, frustration turning into something like anger. “And you know, if you hadn’t said I was you, you’d be dead! Idiot! What do you think I’d do if you’d died on me? Where would I be then! What would I do _all alone here_?” Angry tears spiked without warning and she turned away, her hands clenched into fists, the key digging into her palm.

_Don’t leave me_ said a soft plaintive voice inside her head, like an echo. _Take me with you, please_.

And then a fainter echo. Almost an impression more then a voice.

_Sorry but I can’t…_

What… was…?

“Alright.” The Doctor’s hand slid against hers, so large and warm and an apology and she shouldn’t take it from him but she just wanted to lean against his shoulder and stop the bloody crying. She sniffed and hated herself a little. And leaned against him, rubbing her cheek against his arm absently. She wanted his arm around her more than anything but wasn’t going to ask. She wasn’t that needy--

“I’m not going to forgive you just cos you’re being cuddly,” she managed, trying to preserve some dignity.

“Nah you’ll forgive me cos I’m fantastic.”

“Oh get off!” she said, laughing weakly in spite of herself and shoving him a little, but not letting go of his hand. “A fantastic prat.” She turned toward him and grabbed his other hand, looking up at him. He really was old. He looked it. Even if he wasn’t an epically old Time Lord he was old enough to be… well… well out of her age range. But there was something about his nose and the shape of his ears and those eyes that could see right through anyone.

“I… I’ll give it back to … to…”

“Xfix.”

“Yeah that… but…” she shook her head. “I don’t know how to be you… I … I know you say I’m brilliant but…”

“Then just be you and don’t worry about it.” He let go of one of her hands to tap her nose and she wanted her rub her jaw against his finger like a cat, take it between her teeth and feel the resistance, taste it with the tip of her tongue. Her lips were parted and she knew it and tried to get hold of herself.

“But…” She brought his other hand to her cheek, rubbed a tear away with his knuckle. “What if it’s not enough.”

“It will be.” He took his hand away. “Now I’ve got work to do and so do you so better be prepared.”

He stepped away and it felt like all the cold air in the room rushed to the spot where he had been. She felt empty. Hollowed out. He was going to the bookshelf and she wondered what he’d do if she came up behind him and slipped her hands under his jumper-- She took a step forward and something clattered to the floor.

The key…

Right…

Rose ran a hand through her hair as some of the fog cleared.

Right this was mad and she was… overtired or something. So, wash, then food, then being herself and hoping she didn’t get them killed. She cast a glance at his back as she went for the crate, grateful he didn’t call her out on …being so strange… and she knew it was strange. Mentally she knew it. But the rest of her wasn’t so sure.. And if that didn’t call for a cold shower, she didn’t know what would.

****

Out from the shower, Rose couldn’t say she felt much better. In fact she felt a bit worse. She tugged the hem down of the small black lacy strapless dress the Hamadians must think was part of a human-- no the Doctor’s natural wardrobe-- and bit her lip to hide back the giggle at the absurd thought of him wearing this, then flipped her damp hair over her shoulder and clutched the crystal the Hamadian had slipped around her neck the other day. It was warm and inert against her palm.

The thing was….there was something wrong with her. She knew it. Aside from acting and feeling really strange around the Doctor… because wanting to do those things to him? What was that about? There was this vague, sort of terrifying, blank in her memory. She remembered stepping into the blissfully hot water, which had been soft and soothing, almost like a cream… and then the next thing she knew, she had found herself shivering on the bathmat, hazily wondering what to do next til she’d spotted the fluffy towel. Maybe she was just tired? Maybe it was that post traumatic psychic thingy the Doctor had mentioned earlier? Had she eaten something weird or perhaps she was hungry?

She wondered if she should tell him… but she felt a bit silly. After all, spacing out in the shower was something that happened to everyone from time to time.

“You’ve got more to worry about,” she told herself, fluffing her hair a bit in the reflection of the quietly unfogging mirror. Then she took a deep breath and padded back out into the room. The Doctor was at the bookshelf, reading. She admired his broad back for a moment, before forcibly turning her thoughts away from that and shifting her glance to the little covered tray that had sat on top of the box that the maid had left.

“You hungry?” she said, picking up the tray to set it on the low table and pulling the cover off. Inside were two bowls that looked like they were filled with cement and bamboo-like straws.

“Oh, it’s frosted,” the Doctor said, closing the book with a snap. Rose wrinkled her nose and poked it lightly, feeling the surface give. It was tepid at best.

“Not sure if I call that frosted.” She tucked a strand of hair over her ear and gave it a sniff, before sitting back and wished she hadn’t. “It smells like glue that’s gone off.”

“Might be better than you realize.” He sat in the chair opposite her and poked the straw in with a definitive slorping sound. “Mind you, I remember hating it the last time I was here. Or I think I did.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Rose said, taking her own bowl and, with some hesitation, sticking the straw in. It felt like pushing through a kind of heavy pudding and a kind of sour smell added to it as the crust was broken. Her stomach did a complicated sort of wiggle.

“Here we go, bottoms up,” the Doctor said and then: “Are you really serious about that dress?”

“Look you, I didn’t pick it out… and the old one was a bit dirty. Why are you so concerned anyway.” She took a sip and made a face. Yep. Tasted just as bad as it smelled. “Ugh this is disgusting,” she said, but with a faint laugh, but mostly at the Doctor’s matching expression.

“Don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything this bad before!” she said. She couldn’t even imagine anything this bad existing! Not even in the school caf.

“Yup, disgusting.” He made another face, as if trying to scrape off the stuff from his teeth. “Not sure if it’s fit for solid consumption.”

“Which is weird cos you’d think they’d know better. Something else?” she said, gesturing to the dress. “It’s in my size and everything.” Which she was grateful for, she realized belatedly. Thing about this dress was too big or too small could cause all the wrong reactions. He peered at her as if just realizing this himself. “D’you think it’s just for hospitality whatsit?”

“Could be. Been a long time since I was here-- Before they weren’t into solid comfort but obviously things have changed.” And he glanced around the room. Yeah it did seem more fit for -- well if not humans, at least non-Hamadian body shapes or so it seemed. Maybe they were just showing respect or something. Well she’d take it, though she wished it wasn’t so short.

She glanced back at the Doctor to find him staring at her with his eyebrows raised. She blinked at him, lowering the bowl and absently thumbing a bit of the stuff from her lip.

“What?” Did she have something on her face?

“Guess it grows on you.”

Her confusion must have shown or something because he pointed at the bowl. The empty bowl. Her biocuff gave an anxious little beep which she covered with one hand, nearly dripping cream juice on it from the straw. She quickly set the straw aside. The sour taste was still in her mouth, but it wasn’t so bad now. Maybe that was because her lips felt a little numb. “It’s all right after a bit,” she said. She must have been hungry, that was all.

“I can see that,” the Doctor said. “But I’m not quite sure if I trust your taste buds.”

“My tastebuds are just fine,” she said, giving him a playful pout over her shoulder, trying to feel it enough to sell it. “Grew up a gourmand I did. Pickled pheasant every night.”

“That would explain it. You look a bit pickled about the face.”

“Oi!” she said with an honest laugh. He gave her one of those sudden bright grins that shot right through her, which faded in the next instant as he lifted his head. “We’ve got company.”

“Wouldn’t want to see you on the wrong end of a dog whistle,” Rose said, standing and trying to stay calm despite her sudden flurry of nerves. A wash of cool went through her as she did. Like eating ice cream on a hot day, except the cool of it seemed to spread from her fingertips to her toes. She may or may not have made a breathy sound of surprise aloud, but maybe not because the Doctor didn’t seem to register it.

“Here,” he said. “Put this on.”

And now it was Rose’s turn to stare as he took off his jacket. It wasn’t the first time, she was sure, but somehow it seemed to be. He looked a bit..barer without it, with all that he was wearing a jumper underneath. Not naked exactly but…

…wait… he was still talking. She tried to focus.

“Make sure everyone knows it’s mine… The Doctor’s that is,” he said, holding it open for her.

“Okay… but why? No one knows you…”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She tried to think of what he could be going after, as she slipped her arms into the sleeves. Then tried to think harder as he tugged it up, adjusting the collar around her neck. It was ridiculously big on her, more like a second dress than anything, but also ridiculously warm and the leather was soft and almost buttery and it smelled like him everywhere and she half expected to feel his hands pulling her hair from where it was trapped under the collar, so she did them both a favor and moved it by herself, stepping away from him.

Why would he want her to wear this. So people knew it was the Doctor? Not a reputation thing probably. But definitely so people could see this and think of the Doctor. She couldn’t help but see it and think of him. God, she was wearing his jacket. That was like, phase fourteen of a relationship. Mum had told her that once back when she’d just started to get a little boy crazy. That’s when you know you’ve got him, Mum had said. The perfect time to reel him in. Only right now she felt reeled in and completely caught by--

\--no she was supposed to be thinking other things.

“It does matter, why does it?” she said, her own voice distant.

“Call it creating opportunity.”

She wanted to ask, but then the door slithered open behind her and she was on. The Hamadian made a throat clearing rumble behind her.

“Doctor…” it said

“Coming!” Rose said, stepping into her heels and wondering if she’d regret it. She swiped the biocuff key off the table before jabbing a finger in the Doctor’s direction, an effect somewhat spoiled as the sleeve flopped over it. “You stay out of trouble,” she said. His face took on a held back look as if he was trying to keep from laughing.

“As you wish,” he said. She gave him a tongue’n’teeth grin before turning and heading out, her shoes clicking confidently against the wood. She was fine as she walked out of the room, trying to figure how to mess with the sleeves so she wouldn’t look so much like a dripping candle, but a little bolt of anxiety went through her as the doors slithered shut behind her. Once more she was alone with the guard and having to be the Doctor… Only he’d said to be herself so…. She could at least try.

“Doctor…” the guard said, crystal flashing anxiously. “The key… I must ask…”

“Oh right.” Rose held the key out to it. For a moment it seemed hesitant to take it as if afraid she’d pull it away but eventually it did, slotting it back into its side and the crystal turned a more soothing dull color.

“I did not think you would return it.”

“Well you know…first thing in the the morning with your _xxfift._ ” She gave herself a little moment of glee that she pronounced that right. _“_ Gets to be distracting.”

“I… would not know,” the guard said. “I’ve yet to reach my molting.”

Which meant It was an adolescent, Rose knew somehow. Except that awkward stage with all of the motivation but not much of the drive. And in it’s case the physical impossibility. But how did she know that? Overriding that thought was the realization that she’d done something very….mature in front of it. Suddenly she felt like a dirty old man, like the one that used to come round the flat sometimes and ask her to sit on his lap til Mum chased him out with a broom. Then one day she’d looked out the window and saw him being decked by some bloke in a bomber jacket and he’d never come back after that…

“This way, Doctor,” the Guard said, waking her up a bit and she realized she was standing at the head of the stairs. The steep stairs with no railings that she did not want to go down in stilettos. She took a deep breath and wondered if it would look weak to put her hand on the wall when the guard offered its arm.

“Thanks,” she said, taking it, surprised at the kindness even though she was possibly being suspected of murder. “What’s your name, anyway? I’m um…” she caught herself before she said Rose and finished with a wince: “… um…curious?”

“Sibexes.”

Easy to pronounce at least.

“Nice ta meetcha, Sibexes,” she said in an exagerated way but the humor must of missed it. She cleared her throat, clutching at its arm a bit as the stairs curved here. It was very much like wood under her fingertips, but warmer, pulsing faintly like a thousand tiny veins. She wanted to ask about them, but was fairly sure the Doctor would be expected to know.

“Did you know Roobix very well?” she asked instead. There was a faint shifting that she could feel rather than see. It was thinking, she realized.

“The God-Monarch is a legend. The leader of our people from the midden to the light.” It made slow complicated gesture as a sign of respect. “There is nothing that can be known. But… I have stood in the chamber once. And it is true what they say that the First’s head is full of stars.”

That…wasn’t remotely helpful. So she tried a different tack.

“Did he… er…x..fift have anyone who’d want to kill ‘em?”

Sibexes stiffened, wood creaking.

“We do not kill our own kind as you solids do. We value life!”

Their own lives anyway, Rose thought but knew better than to say. Bit rich coming from them. She couldn’t help but remember Oeagreus… the girl with the beads. She wished she’d caught her name. They came to the bottom of the stairs and down a short corridor. They were approaching the consul room. Anxiety fluttered against the walls of her stomach, but she straightened her shoulders and pulled the leather jacket around her, warmed by it, practically roasting, and she reminded herself that _he_ believed she could do this -- so what was to worry about right?

That didn’t stop her mouth going dry when Sibexes, with a massive hand on her shoulder, guided her into the room. It seemed even bigger than it had the day before. The Hamadians of the first looked larger, craggier. The prisoners were huddled against the far wall, manacled and guarded They all looked exhausted and dull-eyed. Rose wondered guiltily if they’d been allowed to sleep or eat. She wondered if she could do something about that or she would be pushing her luck.

“Erm…” she started,a fine mist of sweat appearing on her temple.

“You have rested, Doctor,” the Inquisitor said, leaning forward. “You have prepared. And now you will begin the investigation and find the culprit or we will kill them all.”

A man in the back whimpered. Dark haired Charlotte glared at her. Durgashakti looked on tired and blank faced as if she’d already given up. Rose swallowed, fisting her hands into the really overly large and too deep pockets to keep from picking at her nails. Was this how he felt all the time? This weight on his shoulders to do the right thing? To say the right thing? To not do the _wrong_ thing at least?

Everyone was looking at her. She wanted to shrink away and hide. Or pull the jacket over her head and disappear into it. She couldn’t do this. Why did he think he could? Why did she think she could? If she ran now… everyone was likely to be killed.

“Well?” said the Inquisitor.

“Well I’m thinking, alright?” Rose said, voice too tight and glad the jacket muffled the biocuff a bit. Even if it seemed like a gigantic tell. But she wasn’t going to flip out. Wasn’t going to give into the panic rising in her chest. One step at a time. She’d never really gotten into mysteries or the like, though she’d half listened to more than one crime drama on the telly to get an idea-- though they’d always seemed boring to her.

Oh how she wished she’d paid more attention.

But she had paid some and of course, Sherlock Holmes. Everyone knew about that. And the first thing to do on a crime drama or… whatever.

“Clues!” she said. “I’ve got to find clues.” So that maybe she could relay them back to the Doctor and he could help her suss this out. “Take me to the scene of the crime,” she said, and then, hesitantly adding: “Please.”

“We’re dead,” Charlotte muttered, and Rose decided she didn’t like her much.

****

The problem with this place, Rose decided, as she leaned against a curving wall and rubbed her calf, was that it was so ruddy big. The Hamadians were practically giants and though they didn’t have much of a stride, not having legs and all, they moved at a fast clip on their tread like brambles. It was nothing for them to go to the end of a corridor, she bet, but for her it felt like she’d gone at least a couple miles, if not more. It didn’t help she was already sweating off the breakfast and was even considering tying the leather jacket round her waist. Yes, it was comforting, but it was also _hot_.

She felt more for the two dragged around with her. Tofluer, A near bald-headed man, who looked like an accountant mixed with a taste for the disco with all the day-glo he had on, and Durgashakti who hadn’t once risen from her melancholy state no matter how many reassuring looks Rose tried to throw her. Granted, Rose wasn’t particularly reassured herself. She was fair knackered and they’d only just reached the crime scene.

As the Hamadians stared at her, she straightened up and folded her arms, surveying the scene of the crime. It looked like some sort of dressing room or powder room. There weren’t any wardrobes or anything, but tree suits standing against a wall, and various desks and displays of bits of jewelry. Roobix must’ve been decked out, Rose thought, admiring a ruby that was the size of a fist and blood red, when she looked closer, something glimmered.

Except she wasn’t here to look at jewelry. She was here to find clues. Evidence. But the room was empty and not even a sign of a struggle. Nothing overturned or smashed. The rug in the middle of the room wasn’t even lifted up.

“Where did you find, hi…er… Roobix? What exact position was he… was Roobix lying in.”

“You do not address the First in that way!” grumbled the Inquisitor, smacking the staff it carried with it against the floor and causing sparks. Why it even had a staff when it didn’t have legs, she wasn’t sure. But she wasn’t going to be cowed like that.

“Look, Roobix is my friend, alright? I’ll call ‘em what I want.” The Inquisitor glowered and raised the staff. An energy weapon whined to life and Rose whipped around to see a guard pointing it at Tofluer’s head. He cringed and whimpered, bio-cuff beeping loudly.

“Stop!” she cried. The Inquisitor made a move and the guard clubbed him in the side of the head, sending him staggering into the wall, a line of blood coming from his temple.

“Don’t forget,” the Inquisitor said. “Where you are or what you stand to lose.”

She nodded, glad she hadn’t taken off the jacket cos now her hands were shaking under the sleeves. She shouldn’t’ve done that. She went to help the man up.

“Sorry,” she said, taking his arm and helping him to his feet as much as she could. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

He looked at her with eyes like round moons. There was something off about him. Something she was missing she just couldn’t put a finger on. Before she could think of what it was, the Inquisitor spoke.

“You do not have time to dally. Do what you have come to do.”

Rose nodded again, chewed on her inner lip, felt a bit like she wanted to die… then pulled herself together.

“Well how was …the First’s body lying… Or wait hang on. You said that… the tree bit…the solid bit was destroyed but nothing is messed up in here.”

“That is in the interior chamber were solids may not go,” said the Inquisitor. “It would be a blasphemy against the First whose hatred of the solids runs deep as water.”

Rose took a deep breath to try and get rid of the frustration welling in her. She didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.

“Listen, you want to find out who did this and why, right? I have to go see it.”

The Inquisitor seemed to think about this, crystal glimmering through several colors.

“Very well,” the Inquisitor said finally. “Since you were Roobix’s friend…”

Rose breathed out a sigh of relief. There was a brief muttered whispering behind her and then she was sandwiched between two guards and practically marched into a mercifully short corridor, following the Inquisitor, and she could hear another guard behind.

They stopped before an ornate wood door and several tendrils peeked from the Inquisitors wood frame, manipulating a lock or something Rose could only guess at. A cold sweat broke out on her temples and neck and once again she was struck with an urge to run. The thought of whatever was beyond that door filled her with a dread that made her stomach knot and the high pitched whine rang in her ears.

Rose bit her lip until she felt the tang of blood on her tongue as the door slowly slithered opened. The strangely sweet smell of burnt wood rolled out of the room and made her want to retch. She pressed a hand over mouth, breathing in the comforting scent of leather. It didn’t help too much as she saw Roobix’s body lying there, blackened and split open like a husk from the neck down. The room smelled of Hamadian death and even Durgashakti gave a small gasp behind her.

That noise propelled her forward even though she wanted to go back. Into the room. Near the body. Wasn’t really her first. She’d seen more death and dead people with the Doctor than she’d ever seen in her entire life. But this… this was different.

She tried to focus on the room instead. It was definitely a bedroom. It looked kind of like the one her and the Doctor had. Except much much larger, and instead of a bed there was a large tank filled with a kind of murky thick liquid. She bet it would be cool. Soothing. Like taking a dip in the pool on a hot day. She looked away to fight the near overwhelming urge to duck her head in it and just forget this nonsense.

There was a bookshelf, of course. Practically a small library, with some chairs to entertain people who actually sat. There was a table and a tea set. A large ornate window and a big brass telescope. Hand still over her mouth , Rose went to the window and twitched open the curtain. Space and stars and asteroids stared back at her.

They were high and the walls were sheer. It would be hard to climb. But maybe fly? Or maybe it was low gravity…. No it was too high up even for that, she thought. So how else? Getting into the room didn’t look like it was easy. She wanted to ask, turned to do so and then thought better of it as Durgashakti stood just inside the doorway, the energy weapon on her shoulder. She finally looked a little unnerved about this, the crystal around her neck flashing a bright yellow. If they thought she was insulting them again… Especially since Sibexe’s had leaned so hard on that point.

Okay so… what next?

The body.

She didn’t want to look at it. She didn’t want to poke or prod. She didn’t want those strange sensations to come back. She wanted the Doctor to come and solve this and make everything fun again. A childish part of her wondered why wasn’t he here? But he would be, she told herself. He would be when she really needed it. Right now, she didn’t. Right now was still her time to be strong.

She approached the body, squinting a little, and didn’t know what she was looking for so just looked at everything. The body was burnt from neck to toe. Almost like charcoal, though glinting here and there with delicate silvery threads. Those were important, though she couldn’t say why. The head was left untouched except the top was missing and inside was a little silvery bowl that had fine holes in it like a colander. Beneath it, something that looked like a shattered crystal.

“Well?” the Inquisitor said again and Rose jolted. She didn’t know what to make of any of it. There were no answers, though she felt like she was missing something. A lot of things. Too many things. But the Doctor had said to ask questions. So… she would ask them.

“What is this room anyway,” she said, folding her arms and trying to look at anything but the wooden corpse at her feet.

“Shouldn’t you know?” the Inquisitor said. “As a friend?”

Rose did her best not to flinch and scrambled for some kind of response.

“Well… it’s been a while… and… I’m 900 years old.Bit daft in the head after all that. Lose things too. Refresh my memory?”

“It is the First’s personal chamber,” the Inquisitor said after a while. “As should be obvious.”

“And…who can get in? The window is kind of a long shot, innit?”

“It is not difficult for anyone who knows how.”

That…didn’t really answer her question, but at least it was something.

“And did R-- the First have any enemies?” she said, trying that tack again.

“A politician has many enemies, fool,” said the Inquisitor. “But Roobix was the first. Our leader. Our God. No one would dare touch someone so sacrosanct.”

No Hamadian it probably meant.

“The First what?” she murmured.

“Come, Doctor!” the Inquisitor snapped. “It was you who made us who we are! How can you not remember a simple fact?! Unless…”

“If you will forgive me,” said Durgashakti, her voice warm and welcome and Rose crossed her fingers that she would say something helpful. “Terminology came much later. The Doctor may not know the significance.”

“Yeah… Terminology. I’m really outdated on that,” Rose said, absently chewing on a fingernail and then forcing herself to stop, instead folding her arms to stop the beeping that was going on like a heartbeat.

“The first to gain a solid body,” said the Inquisitor, resting a hand over its forehead in much the same way that someone back home would rest a hand over their heart. Of course! Rose nearly snapped her fingers at the epiphany. That was where the actual Hamadian was. They sat in the bowl thing and maybe the tendrils were like nerves that they could connect to or something sci fi like that.

“Roobix was the oldest of us, the ancient one, head to the stars and thoughts for the people,” the Inquisitor continued in something like a groan. Almost like a song. “And now gone. Gone.”

“Gone…” the other guards echoed, creakily.

“But how d’you know,” Rose said, feeling bad for them but at the same time. “Maybe…the First is just…kidnapped?”

“The gel form would not survive this long without nutrients, or don’t you recall?” Durgashakti said.

“Right. ‘Course.” Or at least she hoped that was right. Durgashakti seemed to know a lot about this kind of thing. Was probably a scientist of some sort because who just casually dropped the words ‘gel bodies’ and ‘nutrients’? “But where is it?”

“It is probably withered and cracked to dust by now,” said Durgashakti and then shied away from a blow from the guard. Rose winced and was starting to regret her having said anything since the Hamadians seemed awful tetchy about it.

Anyway, she didn’t believe it quite. Who would go to all that trouble to open the head and let the body crack and dry up? And it was clean in there too. There was nothing left behind. No weird tendrils or whatever. Nothing like blood or ash. Could that really be right?

Cos…. Someone had to come in here past the tentacle lock or in through the window, set Roobix on fire-- except that couldn’t be right because the floor wasn’t charred at all that she could see. And if you wanted to not risk the Hamadian in the brain seat you’d make sure you wouldn’t hit the head. Right? But if you were going to kill it anyway, why bother not leaving evidence behind?

She rubbed her head. It seemed like a Hamadian had done it but she couldn’t say that. She didn’t want to risk any more dying because of her. So what then? What could she say or do? She rubbed her forehead, wishing she was cleverer. She needed to talk to the Doctor. She needed time.

“Well…?” the Inquisitor said and she was getting tired of that word. She thought for a second of trying to skive off, but then didn’t want them to think she wasn’t taking it seriously. So what then? There was only one answer that came to her and it wasn’t a great one but…

“It’s not enough,” she said. “I need to see everywhere they’ve been in the past three days.”

“Everywhere?” said the Inquisitor, seeming surprised.

“Yup, everywhere,” she said, stern as she could, though inwardly wanted to cry.

****

By the time Rose got to the end of the very long day, she felt like she was too tired to do much of anything. The Doctor hadn’t shown up through any of it, even when the Inquisitor had gotten impatient and smacked Tofleur around again. The poor man was purpling at this point but at least still alive. At least the prisoners would be better taken care of, but Rose couldn’t even take credit for that. At the end of the day and what seemed like the end of Tofleur’s existence, Durgashakti had spoken saying perhaps the Doctor would like to interview the solids after the next sleep cycle. That was twice Rose owed her one and she wasn’t sure what to think about it. Maybe the woman just liked her? Was just friendly and helpful? Rose kind of doubted it but she couldn’t read Durgashakti at all. When she’d glanced at her after that statement, all she’d gotten was a small smile.

Well she’d figure it out later or maybe by some miracle the Doctor would be able to step in and she could just… just not. She’d even taken off her shoes as they made their way up the impossible stairs, noticing how pockmarked it was from the Hamadian’s tread things. Wouldn’t it be smarter to build a ramp? she thought. But even that question made her feel tired.

“You should rest,” Sibexes said when they reached the top. It sounded worried, resting a hand on her head in an almost familiar gesture. She didn’t have the strength to shrug it off and anyway didn’t want to make all of the Hamadians cross with her. Part of her said it would be good to have an ally and a friend.

“Will, definitely,” she said, managing a smile. Then stretched. “Feel like I could rest for a thousand years.”

“I will bring you refreshment,” it said. Rose nodded and thanked him with a pat on the shoulder. The door slithered open to reveal the Doctor, sitting on the sofa and staring at some sort of screen as if he hadn’t even noticed she was gone. The door slithered shut and he didn’t even have the courtesy to look up. Rose narrowed her eyes and dropped her shoes loudly on the floor, feeling a bit like mum in the aftermath of that and then deciding she didn’t really care.

He did look up then, and she slowly stuck her tongue out at him rather than being annoyed at him for not risking everyone’s life by being caught escaping. Then, because she wanted him to come to her, even as she felt ridiculous and childish wanting such a thing, she took off the jacket and handed it out to him.

“You be the Doctor for a while,” she said, surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded when she tried to raise it even a little. He came over to her, taking the jacket with his large, graceful hands, and shrugged it back on. She snorted, tugging it in place.

“Better,” she said, then leaned her head on his shoulder. It wasn’t quite a hug or quite asking for one but it felt nice. Nicer still when, after a moment, his hand rose and settled on her shoulders.

“Long day?”

“Mm. But no one got killed.” She’d never thought she’d have to think of that as a success. He stroked her shoulder with a thumb and she felt comforted. She just wanted to melt against him. But not, oddly, in a sexy way. As weird as her thoughts had been this morning and last night, she didn’t feel any of that now.

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s my fault. You shouldn’t have to go through this.”

It was, but it wasn’t. He had been trying to save her life after all, even at the stupid risk of his own.

“S’not.” She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, linking her fingers around his back because sod it. She wanted a hug. “But after this let’s go somewhere fun, yeah? The shore maybe.”

She half expected him to scoff at it. All of time and space and you want to go to a beach? But he didn’t. Instead:

“I know one where the sand is pink and green and you can eat the shells like sweets.”

“What really?” she said, looking up at him and finding it hard to believe. Not that she could even believe him when looking at him because of the smile he was wearing.

“Yeah really. Could hardly drag me away the last time I went there.”

“Didn’t know you had a sweet tooth.”

He seemed to hesitate, then shrugged and grinned.

“It comes and goes.”

“Weirdo,” she said, affectionately, bumping his shoulder with her chin, then she had to pull away to cover a jaw-cracking yawn. She was beyond knackered and a little bit dizzy from everything.

“What’ve you been up to all day?” she said, knowing she’d have to tell him what she saw today and soon before she forgot it. But just now she’d rather just relax for a moment and let him do the talking.

“Something interesting.” His hand found hers and she had to bite back a giddy grin as he lead her over to the sofa. Her thoughts scattered though the moment she sat, the soft cushion welcoming to her legs and back, she groaned, stretching out her legs, glad to be off her feet finally. Worse than a day in the shop, it was. How long had it been since that blew up? Seemed like ages.

She smiled and wrapped both arms around one of the Doctor’s resting her cheek against his arm and listening to him explain about how this building was something something modified from an existing building of a species name she couldn’t hope to pronounces so there were something something techy something under the wood which he did something with. Would explain the steps, she thought, and the prisons and the weird bedrooms. Weird for Hamadians anyway.

“Kind of a weird place for them to be if they don’t like solids much,” she murmured. But wait… A thought stirred in her sluggish brain. “But Roobix did, yeah? They had to’ve cos everyone was here for their birthday and they had chairs… Hamadians don’t sit, do they?” She opened one eye to peer at the Doctor who was watching her with a something she chose to read as a faint fond smile.

“I suppose Roobix did, yeah. Or came to. We were rather at odds at first but it makes sense considering what their people were put to by solids back then.”

“Think tank,” she murmured, without even knowing what it meant. She stirred a little more, though, realizations determined from keeping her from dropping off into the fuzzy warmth. “But that means the Inquisitor lied. He said… s’why we weren’t allowed in the chamber. The bedroom. Where everything was gone but their head.” She folded her arms, crossing one leg over the other and staring blankly at the screen sitting on the table with tendril like wires coming out of it like vines, connecting it to the wall. On the screen were a bunch of fuzzy greeny yellow blobs floating in the air with winky lights a little below them and a vague sort of blocky outline against a fuzzier blue and white field.

“Wot are you watching?” she said, trying to bully her head into making some sense of it.

“Security broadcast,” The Doctor said. “From the entire complex. Been watching you all day. Well…most of the day. Bit tricky modifying the” something something “to reroute” something else “and” word she couldn’t hope to pronounce. “Unless of course you’re very clever and a little bit lucky.”

“Why’s it look like that though?”

“It’s how Hamadians see the world.”

“No wonder they can’t tell solids apart.” She could barely make heads or tails of it. The camera flickered to what she guessed were a bunch of solids…prisoners. All of which were a riot of colors with bits of green at the top, one or two of which were very bright. Must mean they are clever. If that were true the Doctor’s head would probably be neon. Clever clever, messing with thingies and making everything better. She curled up against his arm again, tucking her legs on the sofa.

“Wonder how they can tell themselves apart,” she murmured.

“Same way you do. Just adapted to a different way of seeing the world, sensitive enough to pick up wavelengths that even I’d be hard pressed to distinguish.”

“’Course you can distinguish wavelengths,” she said, teasing him. She believed him of course but it seemed like he could do just about everything, Sometimes she wondered if he was exaggerating, even a little.

"I can!" he said indignantly. Her grin widened at the tone of his voice. It made her a little giddy to think that once this was over they’d go somewhere else. Somewhere strange and fantastic and alien and dangerous. And after that somewhere else still. And all she could see in her immediate future was traveling with him, from one mad situation to the next.

“Oh, take me with you wherever you go,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. There was a faint fluttery beep, or at least she thought she heard it and was contemplating peeling her eyes open to see when the door slithered open and Sibexes came in, bearing a box with the bowls of what passed for food.

“You should refresh yourself,” it said uncertainly, hesitating before coming into the room. Rose straightened and stood, a little wobbly, but mostly to block the view of the monitor the Doctor was carefully turning to the side.

“Ta,” Rose said, taking the box. And then with a smile. “You’ve been a big help. Goodnight.”

Sibexes hesitated and then touched its forehead before leaving the room. Rose yawned again and brought the box to the table, glowering at the gray gloopy glop in the bowls. She really needed some chips after this or something. Something covered in grease or swimming in gravy.

“Next time we need to ask for solid food,” said the Doctor. “When’s the last time you ate?”

“Dunno…” Rose murmured. “Had something at the party… I think…” Or had she? It was hard to remember. “But I’m okay….”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. ‘Course. I’ll be fine to breakfast anyway.” But as Rose took a sip of the stuff and the cool sensation soothed through her, she wondered if she was telling the truth. She wanted to tell him she was still worried; that something was off, with her head, with her self. But she couldn't seem to force the words into her mouth. Instead she drank more of the glop and leaned against him, like nothing was wrong in the world.

 

 

 

 


End file.
